Developed by the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, the index measures customer satisfaction with the quality of U.S. goods and services offered by companies and government agencies. Federal services, overall, ranked low on the totem pole, just above Internet providers and just below airlines and subscription TV service.

The NCA, however, not only finished first—which it has done every time it has participated in the survey—but also scored the highest rating ever: 96. The closest a private-sector company came was Mercedes-Benz with an 88. The NCA’s rating was also 28 points higher than the average mark received by federal agencies: 68.

Some observers were perplexed by the NCA’s success, considering the VA has consistently been behind in processing disability claims filed by veterans, and that the agency misplaced numerous headstones and buried at least eight people in the wrong plots at several U.S. military cemeteries.

But the head of the VA, retired Army general Eric K. Shinseki, will take the good news wherever it comes from.

“Once again, this survey shows that employees at VA’s 131 national cemeteries are committed to providing world-class customer service for our nation’s veterans and their families,” Shinseki said in a prepared statement. “It is an honor to care for our nation’s heroes in perpetuity, and we use the highest standards of compassion and professionalism to ensure we commemorate their service to our nation.”